Election Blog: Notes from Pedder Road
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The trickle of voters coming into the Activity High School, on the posh Pedder Road, appears so much leaner than during the Lok Sabha elections. Those on their morning walk, some aged people. Judging by the mood I can tell the trickle is not about to change into a gush. Definitely. Already suburban Mumbai has recorded just over 5 per cent voter turnout since 7 am (it is now past 11 am as I write this), less than that in south Mumbai areas specifically, from where I'm reporting.
I'm reminded of a few reactions I had over the weekend from a group of well-heeled, civic-minded south Mumbaiites at the local club. The discussion moved from the state government's inadequacy, to gossip about an area politician and his lawyer. But when I asked them if they were voting, one said: I'm going to Hong Kong. Another was going to Alibaug.
Here on Pedder Road too, a businessman I met at the polling booth echoed the same sentiments, 'I don't know if it's by design or accident, but polling day the last few times has always been in a cluster of holidays, so most people I know are out of town'. I don't necessarily blame someone for going out of town. God knows if I wasn't reporting this, I'd do the same too! But I'm sure EVERY ONE is not out of town. So why aren't they here voting? Can it be that south Mumbai doesn't need politicians?
The roads here are great, thanks to the state machinery that's based here. Infrastructure is only for those who can afford it, which is usually one of their own.
That little incident at the Taj, Oberoi, Nariman House, and, oh yes, CST too, last year, is still the talk of the town, and makes for fascinating conversation. And hey, by some divine protection, it doesn't even rain as hard here as it does in the suburbs.
Life here is fine, so why vote?
More about Raksha Shetty
Raksha Shetty has been a journalist for 8 years, and is now Principal Correspondent in the Mumbai bureau of CNN-IBN. She joined CNN-IBN at the channel's inception as Special Features Correspondent, and has covered major news stories and special reports out of Mumbai and Gujarat, focusing on politics, city, and civic issues. Recently, she has received awards and felicitations from local Mumbai organizations for her coverage of 26/11 terror attack. Prior to CNN-IBN, she has worked at Mumbai Mirror, Mid-Day, and CBS News (NY). She is a post-graduate student from the Emerson College, Boston, and has graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai - though she still calls it Bombay, the city where she was born and raised. She is passionate about literature, especially if it’s Russian. She lives in Mumbai with her family.Recent Posts
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